1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shipping containers, and more particularly, to shipping containers for elongated articles.
2. Description of the Related Art
An important part of the business of a manufacturer is to provide ways of packing and shipping its goods to its customers in a manner that ensures that they are not damaged or marred and allows them to be unloaded easily and quickly. The manufacturer must also be attentive to keeping the costs of shipping materials and of preparing the goods for shipping low, making it as easy as possible to pack and load the goods into containers, and minimizing the use of disposable wrapping materials and containers for its goods.
Gas springs are used for aiding the lifting of loads, such as the tailgates of automotive vehicles. In conventional shipping containers, gas springs have been packed for shipment to vehicle manufacturers (and other customers) horizontally in layers, with foam sheets separating the layers to prevent marring of the individual gas springs. As a rule, the conventional shipping containers have been of a capacity that permits them to be handled manually by both the shipper and the purchaser/end user. Weight limits under worker safety standards have required the use of relatively small containers. The need for foam or other protective material, which is conventionally disposed of, increases the material and labor costs of packing and shipping, generates environmental waste, and requires not only that personnel remove the gas springs but remove and dispose of the protective packing materials. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a shipping container which can overcome the aforementioned disadvantages associated with the conventional shipping containers.
An object of the present invention is to provide a shipping container for elongated articles, such as gas springs, that is economical to fabricate, easy to load and unload, provides excellent protection of the articles, is reusable, and allows the goods to be shipped without any disposable wrapping or packing materials.
This and other objects, which will become apparent with reference to the disclosure herein, are accomplished by a shipping container for elongated articles according to the present invention, which comprises: (a) a rigid container housing, including a bottom wall and at least one upright side wall enclosing the bottom wall, and having an open upper end for receiving a plurality of elongated articles; (b) a cushioning member supported by at least a portion of the bottom wall, and positioned between the bottom wall and the open upper end; and (c) a plurality of receptacle members, each defining a hollow channel having a lower end and an upper end, and being adapted for holding one of the elongated articles, and being positioned with the lower end in proximity to the cushioning member and the upper end in proximity to the open upper end of the rigid container housing, the plurality of receptacle members being stably supported by each other and the at least one side wall of the rigid container housing.
In one embodiment of a shipping container constructed in accordance with the present invention, a protective member is interposed between the cushioning member and the lower ends of the receptacle members to prevent the elongated articles received within the receptacle members from penetrating the cushioning member. Preferably, the protective member includes a plastic sheet, where plastic is used to avoid rusting. The plastic sheet may include one or more drainage holes.
Preferably, the receptacle members are open at both ends, and each of the plurality of receptacle members abuts at least two adjacent receptacle members and is secured thereto to form an interconnected receptacle member unit. The receptacle members in the unit are supported by each other, and the receptacle member unit is supported by the side wall(s), since the receptacle members at the perimeter of the unit abut the side wall(s) of the rigid container housing. The receptacle members in the receptacle member unit are advantageously arranged in a honeycomb pattern.
Advantageously, the receptacle members are of a length such that portions of the elongated articles adjacent their upper ends protrude from the receptacle members for ease of loading and unloading. In other words, each receptacle member has a pre-determined height that is smaller than a pre-determined length of a corresponding elongated article to be inserted therein.
The shipping container, according to the invention, receives the elongated articles in vertical orientations with respect to the bottom of the container, which has the advantage of presenting all of the articles directly at the top. As mentioned above, past practice has involved packing the elongated articles on their sides, which presents only a row of side by side articles at any point of time in the process of unloading. Preferably, each article is received in an individual receptacle member, thus protecting each article from contact with any other article. In most cases, the articles need not be wrapped, inasmuch as the receptacle members provide sufficient protection against marring and damage of the articles by keeping them from contacting each other. The protruding upper parts of the elongated articles facilitate unloading the container by presenting a part of the article that can be grasped by hand or by a machine part.
In a preferred embodiment of the shipping container constructed in accordance with the present invention, the receptacle members are joined to each other, which provides additional stability to the receptacle member unit beyond that derived from having them in mutual contact and, in particular, facilitates unloading individual articles without risk of a loose receptacle member being withdrawn from the container with the elongated article.
In most cases, maximum density for shipping groups of containers dictates that the containers be rectangular in plan and side elevation. Round receptacle members are preferred over other shapes for strength. With rectangular containers and round receptacle members, maximum density of the receptacle members is attained by having them arranged in rows with the longitudinal axes of the receptacle members of each row lying in a plane and by staggering the receptacle members in a honeycomb fashion in which the receptacle members in adjacent rows are offset relative to each other in the direction of the planes of the rows by a distance equal to the outside radius of the receptacle members. The staggered rows, in addition to increasing the density, retain the possibility of easily loading the receptacle members row by row using automated loading equipment.
The cushioning member may be formed of a closed-cell polymeric foamxe2x80x94a closed cell foam does not absorb liquids. A neoprene foam is preferred. The receptacle members may be pieces cut from extrusions of a durable polymeric material, such as PVC.
One advantageous use for a shipping container according to the present invention is for shipping elongated articles such as gas springs and suspension struts, which are generally manufactured by any given manufacturer with cylinders of different diameters. For such uses, the receptacle members may be round and have inner diameters large enough to receive the largest diameter articles made by the manufacturer.
To minimize movements radially of the elongated articles having transverse external dimensions somewhat smaller than the corresponding inner dimensions of the receptacle members, an insert panel may be placed into the rigid container housing. The insert panel overlays the upper ends of the receptacle members and has a plurality of holes extending vertically therethrough. The holes are in vertical alignment with respective ones of the receptacle members such that the elongated articles inserted into the receptacle members extend vertically through the holes. The insert panel is stably supported laterally in the shipping container, preferably by shaping and sizing it so that at least portions of its perimeter engage the side wall(s) of the rigid container housing. The insert panel may rest on an upper end of the receptacle member unit. As previously indicated, the insert panel has holes in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the receptacle members, centered with respect to the receptacle members, and of a size such as to accept, engage and stably support a portion of the article being shipped. The insert panel may be of a semi-rigid polymeric material, such as a blend of neoprene and nitrile rubber. Such a material provides a cushioning effect so that marring of the elongated articles is avoided.
When the transverse outer dimensions of the elongated articles being shipped are close to the inner dimensions of the receptacle members so that the articles are stably supported by the receptacle members, the insert panel may be omitted, if desired. When, however, the elongated articles are somewhat smaller in size than the inner dimensions of the receptacle members, an insert panel, with holes of a size close to the outer dimensions of the articles at the lengthwise region where the articles are supported by the insert panel, keeps the articles stably supported so that the exposed portions above the receptacle members do not contact each other.
The cushioning member may have holes in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the receptacle members in the receptacle member unit and of a size smaller than the lower end of the elongated article being shipped. The holes allow drainage of liquids from each receptacle member. In that regard, it is often important, such as in the case of gas springs, in which a protective oil film is present on the rods, to thoroughly wash the containers before loading them.
The shipping container may have guideways under the bottom wall for easier engagement by a forklift truck. Advantageously, the container has a base associated with the bottom wall that nests in an open upper end of another shipping container so that the containers can be stacked in a truck, railcar, or other transport vehicle.
In accordance with the present invention, the objects as described above have been met, and the need in the art for a shipping container for elongated articles that is economical to fabricate, easy to load and unload, provides excellent protection of the articles, is reusable, and allows the goods to be shipped without any disposable wrapping or packing materials, has been satisfied.